Photo shows Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe, presenting the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties, Funds and Related Matters to Governor Alex Otti
Return your loot, don’t wait till we come after you, Otti warns
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has issued a stern warning to those suspected to have looted government property or money to quietly return them before government would come after them.
Governor Otti gave the warning in Umuahia while receiving what was to be the final report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties, Funds and Related Matters.
The Governor revealed that some of the people invited by the panel who had illegitimately made away with government property have started complying by returning such items to the government and called on others yet to do so to follow suit before government comes after them.
“Already, some of the people you had called have already started complying. One came here to return documents of a property somewhere that he acquired illegitimately and he said he didn’t want our trouble,” Gov. Otti told the Panel members.
The Governor who said he heard how people tried to frustrate the Panel and how the Panel resisted them.
“I had also heard how people tried to frustrate your efforts and also how you resisted them. This will go down in history as part of the courageous effort you and your team had made to rescue Abia State and to put it on the developmental path”, Governor Otti said.
While thanking the chairman of the Panel, Justice Florence Duruoha Igwe, and her team for a job well done, the Governor assured them that government would take the recommendations in the report seriously and implement it to the letter.
“I want to reassure you that none of your recommendations will be swept under the carpet,” he said, adding: “One thing that is not lacking in this government is courage. It is only courage that you require to do the right thing.”
“I can assure you that we are going to take this report very very seriously and we are going to implement it to the letter.”
“It doesn’t matter how long you have been living in a decayed system. Once you have the courage to correct it, you will start a new journey and anytime you start a new journey with courage, you will also be able to complete it.”
Following the request by the Panel to be granted time extension to enable it to attend to grey areas, The Governor, granted the request by the Panel for an extension time to enable it to address grey areas yet to be covered.
“Since there are petitions that have not been investigated, more time should be given to the Panel to cover such areas instead of abruptly terminating the job of the panel,” Dr. Otti said.
“I received the interim report earlier and I can confirm that the report was a job thoroughly done. I have no doubt that this final report would not depart from that trajectory you have set,” he added.
Earlier while submitting the report, divided into three volumes, to the Governor earlier, the Chairman of the Panel, Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe, said that the Panel received 350 petitions and memoranda and had 99 sittings, explaining that they were able to conclude on such areas of their assignment as markets, lands, employments, movable properties, contracts and other related matters.
According to her, they did their best despite challenges and “not minding whose ox was gored” and appealed to the Governor to pay attention to the panel’s recommendations.
